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Splendid Weeping

Print
1970 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Dom Sylvester Houédard was a Benedictine monk and eminent theologian, but also a pioneer, in Britain, of concrete poetry, a poetic form in which the arrangement of words and letters in a pattern on the page relates to the meaning or emotional impact of the poem. Using concrete poetry as a kind of springboard Houédard developed a way of making more purely abstract or pictorial images with the typewriter keys directly onto typing paper.
This is one of a number of prints using more conventional media, such as letterpress or lithography. Some of these appear directly related to his 'typestracts'; others, such as this one, appear more independent, but they all have a somewhat different visual impact from the typewritten pieces. This is one of six sheets of translucent paper, overlaid, each printed with a different word, in a different position on the page so that they read collectively as a poem; the words show through the paper but progressively faintly as the number of layers increases.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleSplendid Weeping (series title)
Materials and techniques
Letterpress on translucent paper
Brief description
By Dom Sylvester Houédard: composite work: 6 sheets overlaid, 'Splendid Weeping', letterpress, 1970
Physical description
Circ 59 and 59a-e -1971 are six sheets of translucent paper, overlaid, each printed with a different word, in a different position on the page so that they read collectively as a poem, the words show through the paper but progressively faintly as the number of layers increases. From the top to the lowest sheet the text reads as follows:
splendid weeping
daffodil sutra
arctic hair
systematic sand
grass gesture
water lute
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 51cm
  • Sheet width: 48.3cm
Credit line
Acquired from Malcolm Winton, RCA in 1971.
Production
this work is made up of 6 overlayered sheets. This one reads 'grass gesture'
Subject depicted
Associations
Summary
Dom Sylvester Houédard was a Benedictine monk and eminent theologian, but also a pioneer, in Britain, of concrete poetry, a poetic form in which the arrangement of words and letters in a pattern on the page relates to the meaning or emotional impact of the poem. Using concrete poetry as a kind of springboard Houédard developed a way of making more purely abstract or pictorial images with the typewriter keys directly onto typing paper.
This is one of a number of prints using more conventional media, such as letterpress or lithography. Some of these appear directly related to his 'typestracts'; others, such as this one, appear more independent, but they all have a somewhat different visual impact from the typewritten pieces. This is one of six sheets of translucent paper, overlaid, each printed with a different word, in a different position on the page so that they read collectively as a poem; the words show through the paper but progressively faintly as the number of layers increases.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1971
  • Dom Sylvester Houédard : Visual Poetries, London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1971 50
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.59D-1971

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Record createdOctober 17, 2008
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